Why it matters:
The revelation undermines Israel’s long-held narrative of invulnerability and exposes how its military operates from within densely populated civilian areas — a practice prohibited under international law.
The big picture:
The investigation, led by former Google AI researcher Jack Poulson, found that the strike hit a facility known as “Site 81,” a joint US-Israeli command and control center located beneath the Da Vinci Tower complex in northern Tel Aviv.
The secret base, according to leaked documents, housed advanced intelligence and electronic warfare systems shielded by magnetic protection and operated jointly by American and Israeli forces.
Israel imposed an immediate media blackout after the attack, with reports of journalists, including a Fox News correspondent, being forcibly removed from the scene.
What they’re saying:
The Grey Zone said the attack “revealed the existence of a hidden nexus between Israeli and US military operations embedded under civilian infrastructure.”
Confidential emails between former NATO Commander James Stavridis and ex-IDF Chief Gabi Ashkenazi confirmed that US firms were contracted to construct the underground complex, designed to integrate Israeli and American command systems.
One resident of the Da Vinci Tower said he later discovered that his monthly rent “was effectively paying for security protecting an army installation in the Kirya area.”
Key points:
Leaked US government contracts show that construction began in 2011 under the Texas branch of M+W Group (now Exyte) and was expanded in 2013 through Oxford Construction, which was later investigated for financial misconduct.
The site sits less than 100 meters from a children’s playground and community center, illustrating what the report calls “Israel’s systematic use of civilians as human shields.”
Google Maps and Russian service Yandex have blocked or blurred satellite imagery of the area, which The Grey Zone described as “digital censorship in Israel’s favor.”
Go deeper:
The investigation highlights Israel’s growing reliance on dual-use urban infrastructure to conceal sensitive military operations.
The censorship surrounding the aftermath of Iran’s strike, coupled with the exposure of “Site 81,” reveals the depth of US-Israeli coordination — and the vulnerability of that network to Iranian intelligence and precision capabilities.
Mojtaba Darabi - ahmad shirzadian
